Grounded
by unlucky-4-life
Summary: Relating to my other story "Airborne", but from the Storm Hawks point of view. Join them to uncover what sinister plans Master Cyclonis has concocted. Why are there increased sightings of Nightcrawlers? What are they looking for...or what have they found?
1. Chapter 1

Storm Hawks belongs to its respective owners: Asaph Fipke and Nerd Corps.

This is based on my other story "Airborne" but from the Storm Hawks point of view. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 1

Victory Dance

The Storm Hawks just defeated the Dark Ace and the Suit of Untold Vengeance and were now making their way back to the Condor to get their sky rides to carry away the dysfunctional suit.

"Whoo-hoo! We kicked the Dark Ace's ass all the way back to Cyclonia", exclaimed the energetic Finn with his arms outstretched over his head like a wrestler who just won a match.

"Oh, we should celebrate and have a party on the Condor. I can make my special cloud krill platter with my secret sauce", said the excited wallop as he stopped the rest of his team in their tracks.

"Why party on the Condor when were already here on Terra Neon with all these rides and food . . . and pretty ladies who just saw us defeat the Dark Ace", suggested the blond Storm Hawk while waving his hand at all the sites around them.

"I guess we can stay for a little while and celebrate after we get rid of that hunk of metal. But I don't think anyone was here to witness our victory because this place looks deserted", the Sky Knight said as he looked around them.

"Well, after a power-hungry Dark Ace in a menacingly massive suit stomping around the Terra that's known for its 24/7 crystal power usage, I wouldn't be surprised that everyone took off. Too bad though, otherwise the 'ladies' would have hard Finn's girly scream", observed the dark-skinned navigator. A pouting Finn crossed his arms in his childish way at this comment.

"Umm, yeah, speaking of taking off . . . can we get back to the Condor before any sugar-craving-spider-slugs show up", said Stork acting paranoid as usual.

Radarr, the furry co-pilot, looked at him quizzically then shrugged it off. The other Storm Hawks smiled at the merb's comment and continued to where the Condor was parked.

* * *

"Okay, let it down carefully", Aerrow ordered Finn, who wasn't paying much attention, and Junko, who was supporting the bulk of the load.

Once the metal suit was on board the ship, the boys landed their skimmers and started debating on how to take it apart. The muscle-built wallop was contemplating while leaning against the suit. Suddenly there was a creaking noise as if someone was bending metal.

"What is that?" asked Finn as he looked around. Then the suit collapsed into a billowing cloud of dust. When it cleared, there was a nervously laughing wallop standing in the midst of the pile of metal parts consisting of the suit.

"Well, I guess that solves our problem. Stork, are these small enough parts to melt down in recycling?" the Sky Knight questioned the carrier pilot.

"Yeah, that will work", replied Stork as he started carrying the metal parts down to the recycling room. The furry blue sky monkey quickly followed with some scrap metal, too. As the pessimistic merb was melting down various parts of the suit, Radarr pulled out Finn's puzzle cube hidden in a wide metal pipe and handed it to Stork to get rid of once and for all.

Meanwhile in the hangar, the sharpshooter was throwing things all over the place trying to locate his puzzle. Everyone else pretended that they didn't know the whereabouts of that puzzle cube.

* * *

When the Storm Hawks finished disposing the Suit of Untold Vengeance, they returned to the still-deserted Terra to celebrate except for Stork who preferred to stay on the Condor away from the 'spider-slugs'. They split up into small groups: Finn & Junko, Aerrow & Piper, and Radarr all going their own way.

The sky monkey made his way to the bumper skimmers. He flipped the switch to activate the ride and hopped into the seat of the nearest bumper. Radarr was driving like a pro against the other computer-operated bumpers. Then again, he is the co-pilot of the most daring Sky Knight to perform such inspiring air stunts. He avoided another bumper dashing towards him and rammed against another, sending it crashing into another two. The furry blue creature squealed in delight at his victory, but that moment was short-lived because he was sent flying off of his ride by a bumper skimmer that charged straight behind him.

He landed outside the bumper skimmers' rink onto the solid dirt ground. Radarr was seeing stars flying around his head, completely dazed for a brief moment. Once the co-pilot could see straight again, he jumped in protest waving his paw in a threatening manner at the ride. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw something running straight at him . . . something with . . . feathers. It was a love-dazed hen clucking and bounding after a scurrying sky monkey who yelped at the very sight of the chicken. Why was there a chicken on Terra Neon?

* * *

The sharpshooter and wallop made their way to where the majority of the roller-coasters were stationed. They jumped into the front seats of a ride called 'The Leviathan', which looked like an extremely fast roller-coaster.

"Alright, this is gonna be awesome!" exclaimed an eager Finn as the safety bar locked into place.

"It sure is. By the way, Finn, do you want some cloud candy?" asked Junko as he pulled out a cone of fluffy pink cloud candy (sort of like cotton candy).

"Thanks, buddy", said Finn as he reached over to grab a handful, but before he could get any, the ride jolted forward.

They didn't expect the ride to start off so fast and suddenly. The sudden movement sent the cloud candy flying out of Junko's hand. The two were screaming at the top of their lungs as the ride took several sharp turns, turning upside-down, and cycling through many loops. Finn and Junko were holding onto one another for dear life, begging for the ride to stop.

Then the roller-coaster was approaching the finale, climbing up a steep ramp only to dive down the tracks on the other side. They were almost at the top of the ramp when a furry blue creature jumped onto the control system and accidentally knocked the stop switch, halting the ride to a sudden stop. The two Storm Hawks gave a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat off their brow. However, that didn't last long because a chicken flew onto the controls, where Radarr had landed a moment ago, reactivating the go switch. The two experienced such velocity that when the ride came to the end, their hair was pulled back.

They dizzily walked, actually wobbled off the ride. "How 'bout something slower like the ferris wheel?" suggested the dazed wallop before he collapsed onto a nearby bench.

* * *

The leader of the squadron and the crystal specialist decided to go into the house of mirrors. They started off in the wacky mirror room, where all the curved and bent mirrors were. The two stopped in front of a pair of mirrors.

"Hahaha, looks like I need to lay off seconds at dinner", laughed Aerrow as he stared at his reflection, which displayed a fat version of him.

"At least your not thinking too much to have a head this size", giggled Piper when she saw an enormously headed Piper in the mirror.

"If Finn were here, he would probably be standing in front of the mirror that makes him look butch", joked the redheaded Storm Hawk.

"I can so see that happening . . . Uh, Aerrow?" the navigator hesitated as she looked down for a minute.

"Yeah, Piper?" encouraged Aerrow as he gave her his full attention.

"Are you okay? Like I know we survived another encounter with the Dark Ace, but we were scared for you when he had that blaster pointed directly at you", said the midnight-blue-haired girl as she met his gaze.

"To be honest, so was I. I thought he finally had me . . . but, hey, we pulled through in the end. C'mon, let's try out the glass maze", confessed the Sky Knight while he dragged Piper to the maze.

"Well, this doesn't look so hard. All you have to do is - Oww", he cried out as he walked straight into a glass wall.

"Haha, your plan may have worked on the Dark Ace but not in here", laughed the crystal specialist.

"You're the navigator, why don't you show me how to get out?" asked Aerrow as he crossed his arms and smiled at her.

"How about I show you how to get in the maze, first of all", she retorted back at him, while trying to suppress a giggle.

Before they even moved, there was a squealing and clucking coming from outside. Soon after, Radarr came bounding past the two crashing into various glass walls to escape from a hen that followed quickly after him. It wasn't a very long maze because the host didn't want people getting stuck for eternity. Eventually, the furry co-pilot escaped with the chicken still tailing him.

"I know that I won't try Radarr's method", chuckled Aerrow when the noise died down.

* * *

A very paranoid merb was reading his '1001 Ways to Avoid Certain Doom" book, which made him even more jumpy because he was all alone on the Condor. So of course he almost jumps out of his skin when he heard a crashing sound aboard the Condor.

"Oh no, those sugar-craving-spider-slugs found a way onto my ship, but there isn't anything sweet on board. Unless, its mind-numbing-fang-beasts, which is even WORSE!" screamed Stork as he hid behind his chair.

Whatever was on board was coming closer, until it was just on the other side of the sliding doors to the bridge. Then the doors shot open and a blue furry creature shot in.

"EEEEEEEEK!" shrieked the terrified merb as his hair stood on its ends. Once he realised it was Radarr, he calmed down a little.

Just when he thought he was scared shitless, a knocking came at the sliding doors. Both him and Radarr yelped and jumped back with their backs against the opposite wall. The doors slid open and Starling walked through.

"Having fun aren't we?" she asked as she stared at the petrified expressions on the two Storm Hawks' faces.

* * *

Please give me some feedback on how I'm doing. It is greatly appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

Storm Hawks belongs to its respective owners: Asaph Fipke and Nerd Corps.

This is where the stories slightly intertwine.

* * *

Chapter 2

Missing Pieces

The remaining Storm Hawks slowly made their way back to the ship. When they arrived at the bridge, they were greeted by Starling of the Interceptors.

"Enough fun and games already?" inquired the purple-haired woman as she saw the laughing bunch come in.

"Hey Starling, what brings you to Terra Neon?" greeted the leader of the Storm Hawks while he met her at the main table.

"I actually came to find you and your team. I have some news that involve the Cyclonians", started the female Sky Knight as she got up from the table.

"What doesn't involve the Cyclonians these days?" Finn asked rhetorically as he tried to fix his hair into its original style.

"Nice hair by the way, Finn", laughed Piper, passing by the sharpshooter to take a seat at the table.

"Hey! This is proof of all the extreme rollercoasters I rode on today, okay", stated the blond Storm Hawk in his defence.

Stork steered the Condor into the skies, taking flight to nowhere in particular. The blue co-pilot climbed onto his friend's shoulders, greeting Aerrow with a cheerful chirp since he was glad to be away from anymore chickens . . . for now anyways. Junko took a seat at the table while munching on the flamecorn he brought back with him. He offered some to Finn but saw his buddy was still preoccupied with fixing his hair, so he continued to snack. Aerrow and Starling remained standing, ready to get down to business.

"I have been informed of increased sightings of Nightcrawlers. Never have they been this active unless Master Cyclonis, herself, is plotting something. I don't know what they have been up to exactly, but I believe I need your help to uncover the truth", Starling informed the attentive team.

"Whatever Cyclonis is planning, we'll put a stop to it. What are the co-ordinates of the sightings? I can pin-point them on my maps and we can investigate the nearest Terras", the crystal specialist said, willing to help her second most favorite Sky Knight . . . the first being Aerrow of course.

"I knew I could count on the Storm Hawks for assistance", commented Starling before she got down to work with Piper.

* * *

_Squadron Log – Entry #37_

_Several hours later, we came up with three locations with the most concentrated sightings. However, these areas contained remote terras with hardly any inhabitants to even call it a town, which meant that there were no Sky Knights to protect it. What could Cyclonis want with these terras?_

_The first terra we investigated was void of any human beings so we went to the next nearest terra to ask around about the sightings. No one could give us any more info than the fact that they saw Nightcrawlers flying through the skies close by, so no luck here._

_The next location we checked out was barren with small clusters of trees dotting the landscape. There was a single hut, which advertised various teas so it must have been a refreshment stand, amidst the surrounding trees. We called out but there was no answer. Just when we were leaving, a couple emerged through the tangle of branches. They asked if we knew where the man who owns the teashop went. Of course we didn't know ourselves so we couldn't help them out. Did the owner fled when he saw the Nightcrawlers or were the Nightcrawlers kidnapping people against their will and for what reason?_

_We had one more place to dig around in and we hoped it would give us the answers we were looking for. It was on a terra with an abundant, luscious forest with a massive mansion situated in the middle. We introduced ourselves at the gates, hoping to gain entry to investigate. Unfortunately, we were rejected. Before we left, however, the waste disposal man asked if he could help us out with our dilemma since he's seen things come and go from the mansion. We asked if there were any changes or unusual activities over the past week. He informed us nothing really significant occurred unless you count no more thefts of disposed crystals. We thought it was odd how someone would want to steal dull crystals from the trash, but we couldn't get any more info. Did the Nightcrawlers steal a trash thief?_

_We gathered that the Nightcrawlers were collecting people from remote Terras, but for what reason? To increase the Cyclonian fleet force or is it something more sinister?_

_-Piper Out-_

* * *

"God, all this running around, investigating everybody we see is making me hungry", whined the sharpshooter as he held his rumbling stomach.

"Alright, I think it's time we take a break since we aren't getting anywhere else with the other scattered sightings. Stork, can you take us down to that refuelling station over there?" commanded Aerrow as he pointed to the place he was referring to.

The merb steered to the station and parked the Condor on an available air pier. Everyone got off to get some lunch at the diner beside the station, with Finn and Junko racing ahead. As they ordered their meals from the extensive menu, Suzy Lu and the rest of the Absolute Zeros walked in. The blizzarian Sky Knight recognized the Storm Hawks and made her way to their table.

"Didn't figure to see you Storm Hawk here, eh?" Suzy Lu said in between chewing her bubble gum.

"Oh, hey Suzy, what brings you here?" asked a curious Piper while she handed her menu to their waiter.

"We just stopped here for a bite on our way back to Terra Nor from Saharr. I picked up this nice trinket there, but it don't work though. Guess it just supposed to look fancy, eh?" commented the blizzarian as she pulled out a snowflake-shaped frost crystal.

A light flicked on in Aerrow's head when he saw the dull crystal and questioned Suzy Lu, "Which stall did you get that crystal from on Saharr?"

"Think it was the far left corner, very isolated, with an emblem of a dragon soaring painted on the double flapped door. You thinking of getting yourself one of these?" the Sky Knight of the Absolute Zeros informed after she blew a bubble out of her gum.

"Something of the sort. It might be the lead on our recent mission. Thanks for the details Suzy Lu, it's greatly appreciated", thanked the leader of the Storm Hawks, who then asked the waiter to package their meals for take out.

* * *

As Starling and the Storm Hawks peered around in the various aisles of the stall that the blizzarian referred to, the shopkeeper emerged from the backroom to serve his customers. The chubby owner approached the group and asked, "May I help you with anything?"

"Yes, our friend bought a snowflake-shaped crystal here not too long ago. Do you have anymore of those?" the crystal specialist politely asked.

"Unfortunately, I don't have anymore snowflake-shaped ones. However, I do have other various shaped ones. Please, follow me", the shopkeeper pointed out and began leading the group through a series of aisles until they arrived at a glass display. The display housed many artefacts that were too delicate or fragile to be put on just any shelf, including the crystal figurines they were searching for.

"That's it", called the Sky Knight of the Storm Hawks as he spotted the figurines, "Can you tell us everything about how you got a hold of these?"

"Well, many mercenaries come here to sell us their wares and in turn we make a profit from marketing their wares. This particular mercenary", explained the owner as he gestured towards the crystal figurines they were looking at, "has ceased to sell me anymore of her wares. It pains me to say that a trio of hooded men ambushed her in my store after we finished negotiating. What's left of her figurines are there on display."

"I see . . . did you get a closer look at the intruders? Were their eyes glowing a ghastly purple? Did their voices sound like they were hissing?" Aerrow quickly questioned the shopkeeper.

"I'm sorry, but I feared for my life and hid in my backroom so I didn't get a chance to speculate the ambushers. However, I believe I heard they mentioned something about a place called . . .", admitted the owner as he stroked his thick beard, trying to recall the name, when it came to him, Psy – clone – ah."

"Wait a minute, what in the Atmos did he just say? Did anyone understand what he just said?" asked a confused Finn as he scratched his head.

"Hmm, psy-clone-ah . . . sy-clon-a . . . cy-clon-a . . . Cyclonia!" shouted Piper when she figured it out.

"Ohhh, Cyclonia. Why didn't you just say so?" proclaimed the blonde boy as he leaned against a table.

"But we already know that the Nightcrawlers are from Cyclonia", stated the wallop, unaware of where this conversation was going.

"Yes, but now we know for certain that they're harvesting people against their will to join Cyclonia. I guess they're running out of recruits since you shut down their Young Talons Academy", Starling debriefed for everyone.

"Right, and Cyclonis sent the Nightcrawlers for their stealth and speed. If she were to send her Commanders with hordes of Talons, then they would be shot down from the skies without hesitation", the dark-skinned girl added on.

"Alright, so let's set these victims free from Cyclonian control", commanded Aerrow as he got revved up for their upcoming mission. His co-pilot squealed in unison.

* * *

As the team made it back aboard the Condor, they debriefed the news to Stork and waited out his rant of utmost doom that would surely plague them.

"Back into Cyclonian territory! Are you mad!?! Or worse . . . infected with mindworms! We barely made it back the first time we ventured there! They probably increased the security tenfold! We'd be shot down so fast! And don't get me started on the Wastelands . . ." the paranoid merb ranted on and on, with his eye twitching every other word.

"Stork, Stork, take it easy. We all made it back just fine the first time. Besides, we've improved since then, too", the redhead reassured the carrier pilot, trying to stop the frenzy the merb was going into.

Across the bridge, the others were brainstorming ideas for the sneak rescue mission at the discussion table. "It's a miracle that he is the carrier pilot of the most daring squadron in the Atmos", smirked Starling as she looked at the others. The team smiled at her remark as they watched Aerrow chasing Stork, trying to get him to wear his Trans helmet to go to his happy place.

"C'mon Stork, you know you want to go to your happy place", Aerrow tried to convince the merb.

"Ahhhh! No! Last time I wore that, you sold the Condor!" retorted the still freaking-out Stork.

* * *

Any suggestions on how they sneak into Cyclonia?


End file.
